A second helping
Once was not enough for the United States Customs Local 324
members making their first Polar Bear Plunge. So, the Customs and
Border Patrol officers who work out of the Port of Newark went in
for a second splashing, and stayed in the ocean for a mid-winter
swim.
“If you go in, why get out? If you’re going to do something, do it
all the way,” Local 324 Board Member Robert Cacioli hailed. “The
second time in, it was beautiful.”
Local 324 makes the Torch Run for Special Olympics every year,
and members also ride the Police Unity Tour. Taking the plunge
was part of the Local’s mission to do anything to help raise money
for good causes.
Additionally, Local 324 members find another benefit from par-
ticipating, which might be the reason they went back in for a sec-
ond time.
“Anything we can do together, we love it,” Cacioli added. “We’re
a bunch of lunatics.” d
for Special Olympics
First ‘dips’ on the deli corner
When Berkeley Township
Local 237 put together its
team of 21 officers and fam-
ily members for the Polar
Bear Plunge, the Local called
a Seaside Heights business to
ask if the group could set up
camp outside of the store-
front. The owner of Ryan’s Boulevard Deli & Grill, located on the
corner of Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue, was happy to give the Lo-
cal a place to park its trailer and hang out during the plunge.
Officer Patrick Coletti and the 17 other Local members on the
team set up two blocks from the boardwalk, where their family and
friends could easily walk back and forth from the beach after taking
the dip.
“It’s not always easy to organize a big group of people like that,
especially in Seaside with all of the people that were there,” ex-
plained Coletti. “Ryan’s Deli made it even more of a great experi-
ence for us to have that spot.”
It was Coletti’s first time taking part in the plunge experience,
though Local 237 has had team participation in years past. This
year the Local raised $2,100 for Special Olympics and plans to re-
turn next year with an even bigger team of support.
“To be honest, with the adrenaline and everything else going on,
you don’t really feel the cold of the water too much until you get
out,” Coletti shared. “We had such a great time this year that every-
one is definitely really excited about growing the participation for
years to come.” d
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■ MARCH 2017 47